COVID-19 cases taking a toll on Florida's healthcare workers

In Florida, where more than 20,000 people a day on average are testing positive for the COVID-19 virus, there are alarming new statistics from the Florida Hospital Association. The group says three out of four hospitals are expecting staff shortages within one week. Right now, only 8 percent of ICU beds are available in the state, and more than 17-thousand people are being treated for COVID-19 at our hospitals. At the center of this new surge, healthcare workers, who are once again dealing with physical and mental exhaustion. More from CBS Miami and  Health News Florida.

Opinion: Nation must follow Florida on first responder mental health care

Today, first responders are more likely to die by suicide than from a physical injury sustained in the line of duty. For so many first responders who suffer on-the-job trauma, we must recognize, destigmatize and treat mental health illnesses before it is too late. [Source: Tallahassee Democrat]

E-commerce company challenges state pot restriction

E-commerce company Leafly has carved out a niche as one of the nation’s leading shopping sites for all things cannabis. Leafly and similar websites allow visitors to peruse the stock available at medical marijuana dispensaries, place orders online and pick up and pay for the goods at local storefronts. But Florida health regulators this year stopped medical marijuana operators from using Leafly and other third-party sites to process patient pre-orders, saying the services violate a state law banning operators from contracting for services “directly related to the cultivation, processing and dispensing” of cannabis. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Florida opens more monoclonal antibody COVID treatment centers

More monoclonal antibody treatment centers are opening in Florida in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases. The state opened sites in Hudson, Tampa and Ormond Beach late last week, adding to the five operating elsewhere. Patients at high-risk of developing severe COVID-19 including those with obesity or lung disease can get the treatment. They'll receive antibodies designed to fight the coronavirus through an IV or a shot. [Source: Health News Florida]

Job gains struggle to relieve hospital staffing shortages

The state’s unemployment rate rose by a tenth of a percent in July and to sit at 5.1% but remains below the national average. State economists said the increase in the rate is due to more than 83,000 Floridians rejoining the labor force and seeking jobs. But even with the steady economic recovery, some sectors are continuing to deal with chronic staffing shortages. The education and health care services saw the third highest gains in July, with 10,000 jobs added. But the sector is still only 79% recovered compared to pre-pandemic levels. [Source: WJXT]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› FSU College of Medicine recognized for undergraduate pipeline program [Tallahassee Democrat]
A Florida State University College of Medicine program is the recipient of the 2021 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. The program — Undergraduate Science Students Together Reaching Instructional Diversity and Excellence (USSTRIDE) — is an extension of the College of Medicine’s pipeline outreach program (SSTRIDE), which identifies middle school and high school students with an aptitude for science and math and the potential to become a successful medical student and provides support services to steer them on their chosen path.

› Deerfield health care marketing company faces lawsuit for ‘bait-and-switch’ [Florida Politics]
A new lawsuit alleges Insurance Care Direct (ICD), a health care marketing company based in Deerfield Beach, is engaged in a “bait-and-switch” scheme where customers are duped into buying limited-coverage health care plans they believe are far more comprehensive.

› Florida nursing home workers to face vaccine mandate [CBS Miami]
As COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Florida, the White House announced last week that nursing homes that rely on Medicaid and Medicare funding must require their staff members to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. The announcement will have a ripple effect through Florida, which has nearly 700 nursing homes.

› Florida Oral and Facial Surgical Associates celebrates 65th anniversary [Ormond Beach Observer]
Sixty-five years and counting: Florida Oral & Facial Surgical Associates is celebrating 65 years of helping people in Volusia and Flagler Counties live their best lives. Doctors John Akers, D.D.S.; Curtis Schalit, F.A.C.S.; Roger Thayer, D.M.D., M.A.; and Bradley Pinker, D.D.S., M.D. are dedicated to putting smiles back on people’s faces.